Cosmopolitan showcases trans families in photos

Cosmopolitan’s avant-garde photographic layout by Gabriela Hasbun featuring loving trans families is sure to raise some eyebrows. Does Cosmo’s layout humanizes or trivialize everyday transsexualism? Well, these aren’t cute, beautiful trans youth, bless their hearts, models or movie stars. It’s incredibly empowering to see everyday trans people welcomed into mainstream media, but it might be controversial as well. Some in the community will question the rationale for having bare chested trans people pictured.

My next project is a celebration of transgender families, in all their diverse shapes and forms. I’d love to highlight families who started from scratch with transgender members, and those that have shown how to stick together as gender-variant identities are realized and affirmed.

I know there is so much more to do for transgender equity, especially for those still most marginalized. Nevertheless, I also know we are in an important phase in American history as gender non-conforming people, their experiences, and their voices are finding greater audience in mainstream society, particularly as part of loving families.

Is this another transgender tipping point in Time? That’s to be seen but there’s one thing for certain. She’ll delight fire tassel aficionados and enrage misguided religious zealots and generic haters alike.